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Euro Xbox 360 price cuts landing Monday says paper
Remember that Xbox 360 price cut we mentioned a few days ago? Well it appears that the Financial Times Germany is reporting that this Monday, Microsoft will trim the fat from the Arcade and Pro consoles, shaving €80 and €50 off the price tag, respectively. Of course, right now this is still unconfirmed by the boys in Redmond (or in any other official location), though the buzz in the community does seem to suggest that these cuts are coming. Hopefully if these become a reality, the company will break something off for folks on these shores as well -- we need all the help we can get right now.Update: See that photo above? it looks like that price cut really is happening. Good news for you, Europe.Update 2: Amazon UK has jumped on board too.[Via I4U News; Image via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Rumor: Further evidence of Star Wars: KOTOR MMO discovered
1UP recently added some fuel cells to the fire of the relatively aged rumor that the result of Bioware and LucasArts' recent collaboration is an MMORPG which takes place in the long-winded universe of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. While one could make a case for and against this claim, a script for the game, which apparently landed in the laps of 1UP's digital ink slingers, could prove conclusive evidence for the online epic -- if it's completely legit, that is.The script details the online game as a "role-playing game set in the historical past of the Star Wars universe," where "Jedi and Sith battle across the galaxy." While those two phrases could apply to many chapters of the Star Wars mythos, the tipster who submitted the script was convinced it carried Bioware's trademark verbosity. We're confused -- how will we be expected to spend hours mindlessly grinding and spawn camping with all of that dialog getting in our way? Hopefully they'll fix that in beta.[Via Massively]
Rumor: 60GB to replace 20GB HDD in 360 Pros
With rumors of European Xbox 360 price cuts flying around, we have yet another 360 hardware rumor making the internet rounds and it targets the 360's hard drive.According to TrustedReviews and their "rock solid source", they're claiming that Microsoft has plans to replace the Xbox 360 Pros' current 20GB HDD with a larger 60GB drive by this June. A move that isn't all that far fetched seeing that they probably want to to help accommodate all that HD content they want you to purchase off the Marketplace. TrustedReviews ratchets up the rumor mill even further by saying that their insider told them that Microsoft is bouncing around the idea of adding yet another SKU to the 360 lineup. A new console that would reap the fruits of the rumored Sony / Microsoft negotiations and feature a Blu-ray drive. So, is anyone willing to take a stab at what the rumored 60GB HDD or Blu-ray equipped models would be called? We'll be trail-blazers and go with "Xbox 360 Six Pack" for the 60GB model and "Xbox 360 HD DVD Died So Blu-ray It Is" for the Blu-ray version.[Via Engadget]
New iPhone design leaked on iTunes? Highly unlikely.
Knowing how rampant the Apple rumor community can get, we try not to stir the pot too feverishly, but iLounge has made a bizarre little discovery that we thought you might like to see. Apparently, it's already possible for iPhone / iPod touch developers to create pages in iTunes offering content to limited groups of users. While perusing these pages, they apparently stumbled upon the Education First Educational Tours page, where international travel tour registrants can download TourCast audio and video content. Strangely, an odd, almost Zune-like device can be seen in the corner of the graphic for this page bearing the Apple logo. Could this be some wild slip? Is what we're looking at a rendering of a new iPhone or touch device, or is this some random mockup meant to suggest a "general" Apple product? We're strongly, strongly leaning towards the latter, though maybe Jobs let one slide through the cracks this time. See the full view after the break.[Thanks, Christian]
Rumor: 20GB Xbox 360 is out, 60GB is in
TrustedReviews is pretty confident about their latest "world exclusive" – they say the Xbox 360's 20GB hard drive is going the way of the Core system (read: dying), and in its place we'll have a 60GB Pro system. While the site is sure their info is on the money, they're not sure about when we can expect this new drive (before the end of Microsoft's fiscal year, says their source, which ends June 30). Will the hard drive-less Arcade console replace the missing 20GB model? They can't be sure, but they do say the boys in Redmond are considering adding another SKU to their increasingly complex product lineup. Something in between the Arcade and the 60GB? Or perhaps something with built-in Blu-ray (if that "makes sense")? [Via Engadget]
1UP thinks the Force is with the BioWare MMO (again)
We cannot foresee the details of BioWare's MMO; shrouded in mystery they are. The biggest rumor has always been that it's based on the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic IP. And what a ride that rumor has been. Just since the beginning of this year it's already been falsely confirmed once and denied twice.It's the most popular nonexistent game in the known universe, but is it really nonexistent after all? Oh no, here we go again! As our own Mike Schramm commented after the most recent denial: "If you strike this rumor down, it will only come back more powerful than you can possibly imagine." Prophetic words, those.A tipster sent 1UP an excerpt from an MMO script, allegedly from within BioWare. The script doesn't sound very MMO-like, but according to 1UP's Steve Watts, it resembles dialogue in previous BioWare works, and it's "set in the historical past of the Star Wars universe." Sounds like KotOR to us! 1UP poked LucasArts for a comment, and basically got the "no comment" comment.
HTC launching MID devices in 2008?
DigiTimes is back with another Taiwan industry rumor. This time they have HTC launching MID handsets in 2008. No surprise there as HTC jumped into the UMPC game long ago with the Shift. Of course, the whole thing becomes suspect when their source claims that MIDs will be "squeezing the market share currently enjoyed by UMPCs." Everyone and their monkey knows that UMPCs don't account for enough market share to warrant joy.
Sony "in talks" with Microsoft about a Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive
About 48 milliseconds after the format war was officially over, rumors started running rampant (again) about Blu-ray making its way over to Microsoft's latest console. Now, however, those rumors actually have some legs -- well, at least a leg. According to Stan Glasgow, Sony Electronics US president, "Sony is in talks with console rival Microsoft about offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360." For whatever it's worth, the exec also noted that it was having similar discussions with Apple, which has yet to even offer a Blu-ray option on any of its machines. Unfortunately, not a peep was uttered about potential launch dates and the like, but you can rest assured that we'll be keeping an ear dangerously close to the ground.[Thanks, Andy]
3G iPhone: is June launch now inevitable?
Another press event, another 3G iPhone no-show. Man, just think how nice it would be to have a brand spankin' new HSDPA capable iPhone for downloading all those fancy new apps. Sure would come in handy for syncing your massive corporate email accounts (with attachments), too. Otherwise, you iPhone users will be stuck with your paltry EDGE when WiFi isn't available. Will that all change in June with the launch of the 2.0 firmware? That's what the rumor mill says -- and it makes sense to us. What say you?Hint: Apple's WWDC, while unannounced, is expected to begin on June 8th.
Microsoft Surface going spherical?
While we've yet to see the rollout of Microsoft's Surface, rumor has it that other versions have at least made it to the prototype stage. According to ZDNET's sources, Microsoft has a "spherical Surface prototype" bouncing around the Redmond campus. What's intriguing is how they managed to stuff a rear projection unit and IR cameras into a ball. Presumably, we're talking about a different touch-sensitive technology to that used in the table-top surface. You know, assuming the rumor is true.
iPhone coming to Swisscom on April 4?
So check it out, if this shot of a Swisscom ad flyer in the wild is legit, not only will our Swiss friends be able to sign up for an iPhone starting early next month -- they'll get a very special kind of iPhone, to boot. So special, in fact, that the screen will only be able to fit four icons vertically and three across. Here's what we don't understand: if this is fake, why would someone put so much effort into it and then bork the screen like that?[Via Everything iCafe]
RUMOR: Some Age of Conan pre-orders to get early access
We've caught wind of a rumor regarding certain retail chains that give out unique Age of Conan pre-order keys. It seems that if you've pre-ordered at any chain that does give you a unique key, then a three-day early start is in your Hyborian future. The rumor started in this thread on the official forums, which was then supported by a secondary post with a copy-paste of an email that seemingly confirms the rumor. What is most interesting is that an official post has since been made concerning said rumor, which doesn't actually deny the three-day head start.So it certainly seems this rumor has some legs. This definitely wouldn't be the first time pre-order customers got an early start, as it's quite common for massively games to do something of this nature. Call us fairly convinced on this one, but of course until there's an official announcement it'll have to go into the rumor bin.[Thanks, autonomous]
Rumored PSN Store redesign to include video downloads?
Always ready to throw the latest rumor onto the internet, Kotaku has more "details" on that rumored PSN Store redesign that we would so much love to see. They even have a mock-up of the store (as seen above) according what their source saw at the Destination PlayStation retailer even last week. If true, the PSN Store will follow the aesthetic of the SingStar SingStore even closer than we imagined - fine by us! We love the SingStore. It's very easy to navigate and it looks a darn site better than the PSN Store does right now.According to Kotaku, the redesigned Store will be accompanied by Sony's long-awaited video download service. Naturally, this will be for America only to begin with. Of course, nothing is confirmed and no real details (such as price, or a release date) are available and Sony is, as always, staying very tight lipped. We'll let you know if anything develops, as usual.
Rumor: Crysis for PS3 looking probable; 'will be an almost 50% new game'
An interesting little news piece in the latest issue of UK magazine PSW gives the indication that, not only is Crysis definitely heading to the PS3, but the extra content will make the PC version look like a demo. The magazine states that "it's no secret that Crysis is coming to PS3 this year. The excitable, hard-worked coders over at Crytek have said as much in many interviews - they've even produced a new, multi-platform engine in readiness - but the real juice here is that it won't be a straight conversion of the PC game. We understand PS3 Crysis will be an almost 50% new game, with many of the original games staff taken off PC Crysis months before release to begin to work on Crysis 2 and a port to PS3 that will include aspects of the sequel - but a new structure, environments, weapons and enemies will feature on PS3. This should be one of the year's biggest console shooters."Sounds good to us! We'd love to see an expanded version of the game heading to PS3. With such high system requirements, it's the only way we'll be able to play the game with its intended graphics. "Almost a 50% new game," though? That sounds a little fishy. We're firmly labeling this one as the rumor it is. Fingers crossed, though!
iPod nano coming in purple? Probably not.
We've gotten a tip that there could be a new iPod nano color on the way -- purple to be exact -- due to a Circuit City circular ad distributed in Minneapolis this weekend. As far as exciting or even remotely interesting rumors go, this one falls about one space after dead last, and is most likely some kind of funkdafied CMYK mishap, or worse yet -- the most boring Photoshop job in the world. Still, for all you serious iPod aficionados who simply must have the latest shade, perhaps your player will soon be awash in Grimace-colored tones that only the Hamburgler and Prince could truly love.Update: Well you can rule out printing errors, thanks to tipsters Jack and Joe [but not necessarily photoshops, thanks to Eliav]. Check it out after the break -- you can make the call for yourself, For now we're placing this one back on the table.[Thanks, Tony T.]
Select AT&T stores selling refurbished iPhones?
Oh sure, Apple's been offering up a couple of refurbished iPhones on its own web store for some time now, but actually finding one in stock has proven to be quite a challenge. Nevertheless, a purported internal memo has explained that select AT&T stores in the New England region (sorry, rest of the solar system) will be stocking refurbished iPhones for $199 (4GB) and $249 (8GB) -- of course, the deal only applies to new activations. Has anyone actually seen this go down first hand? We wonder how quickly it'll be before this offer bleeds out from the Northeast.
LG Vu tracking for a late March release?
We knew there had to be a good explanation for the Vu's name starting to show up on AT&T's wares, and this just might be it. We're hearing rumblings that the device, one of AT&T's likely inaugural MediaFLO handsets, is apparently now set for a March 18 release into distribution channels with March 20 availability in stores. Of course, AT&T originally wanted this thing out at the beginning of this month, so we'll believe it when we're standing at the cash register with a box in our hands.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
iPhone software development to be locked down by Apple?
It was only a matter of time till the serious iPhone SDK rumors started flying, and with Apple's Town Hall event next Thursday, it's possible some of what we're hearing is right on. If that's the case, prepare to be letdown in a major way. According to iLounge, Apple will be severely restricting access on software for the iPhone and iPod touch, only allowing apps to be downloaded through iTunes, hand-picking which applications will make it to the store, and cutting off developer's access to accessories which interface with the dock connector. Of course, this is just about what we expected from Steve, since he's already lauded Nokia for its S60 verification scheme. Additionally, the report claims that the SDK we see next week will be an incomplete beta, with the full version rolling out in June to coincide with the WWDC. Thinking of any good reasons to keep jailbreaking your phone? Yeah, us too.[Thanks, Omega]Update: Here comes the counter-rumor, which has it that only paid-apps are get hand selected by Apple, while free apps would supposedly be open for download. Not clear whether that means free apps simply wouldn't be offered in iTunes, but it's all just hearsay until Apple tells us what's up later this week.
3G iPhone rumored to be Infineon-powered, hitting "mid-year"
Hold the presses: Apple may be releasing a new iPhone this year... with 3G! Crazy, we know. The latest iteration of this rumor comes to us courtesy of UBS analysts, who say Infineon will likely be building chips for the phone -- they're powering the current iPhone, so no real surprise there. UBS is also betting on a mid-year 3G iPhone launch, and thinks that EDGE production will ramp down early so Apple gets a chance to clean out inventories. We've got a good feeling about this one, guys. [Thanks, Tim G.]
KF750, KF240 to kick off new fashion lineup for LG?
Unwired View is reporting that LG is prepping to launch a new barrage of fashion handsets, kicking off the action properly with the KF750 slider at CeBIT next week. A prototype KF750 (pictured) appears to already be up at the auction block on a Romanian site, and we're not sure "fashion" is the very first word that comes to mind -- "hypnosis," perhaps, on account of those crazy circular lights surrounding the d-pad. Features on this one should include a 5 megapixel cam (impressive if true, considering how slim this thing appears to be), 160MB of onboard storage, and microSD expansion. Meanwhile a lower-end KF240 is said to be hitting any day now -- possibly before CeBIT, that is -- setting its sights on Latin America and parts of Asia with a 2 megapixel cam.[Via Unwired View]
